A healthy choice for NH Senate

Saturday

Apr 13, 2013 at 3:15 AMApr 13, 2013 at 8:03 PM

During a legislative hearing in Concord earlier this week, small convenience and grocery store owners expressed concern that a proposed 20-cent hike in the cigarette tax could put some of them out of business.

The 20 cents-per-pack hike passed the House last month but its future is uncertain in the Senate — at least for now.

Looking beyond this particular battle, cigarette taxes will continue to rise, and for good reason.

The more cigarettes cost the greater the incentive to quit smoking. While it is true that over time there has not been a one-for-one correlation between rising prices and lower rates of smoke, taken as a whole the statistics and studies are clear.

From a 2012 study, published in the journal PLoS and conducted in New York, the state with the then-highest cigarette tax in the nation of $4.35 per pack: ■ From 2003 to 2010 (the period examined in the study), New York reduced adult smoking by 28 percent, from 21.6 percent to 15.5 percent who currently smoke. In contrast, the national smoking rate fell by only 11 percent, from 21.6 percent to 19.3 percent.■ From 2003 to 2011, New York reduced high school smoking by 38 percent, from 20.2 percent to 12.5 percent who currently smoke. In contrast, the national high school smoking rate declined from 21.9 percent to 18.1 percent.

Rising taxes are again credited with helping reduce smoking in an annual survey of teens by University of Michigan researchers released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. There researchers cited the increase in federal cigarette taxes, raised by 62 cents a pack in 2009, as a contributing factor.

And if you don't believe these numbers, here are some tobacco company quotes, courtesy http://www.tobaccofreekids.org:■ Philip Morris: Of all the concerns, there is one — taxation — that alarms us the most. While marketing restrictions and public and passive smoking (restrictions) do depress volume, in our experience taxation depresses it much more severely. Our concern for taxation is, therefore, central to our thinking . .■ Philip Morris: When the tax goes up, industry loses volume and profits as many smokers cut back.■ RJ Reynolds: If prices were 10% higher, 12-17 incidence (youth smoking) would be 11.9% lower. ■ Lorillard Tobacco: We believe that increases in excise and similar taxes have had an adverse impact on sales of cigarettes. In addition, we believe that future increases, the extent of which cannot be predicted, could result in further volume declines for the cigarette industry, including Lorillard Tobacco.

The bottom line for anyone who sells cigarettes is that increasing taxes works, especially in combination with other anti- and quit-smoking efforts. As that trend continues, merchants will have to become less dependent on cigarette revenues in order to remain profitable and — in the case of the Rose Bell Motor Mart and others — remain in business.

Given that the health of many New Hampshire youngsters — and adults — hangs in the balance, we think higher taxes which lead to lower rates of smoking should be approved by the Senate.